While rirects are common in SEO, when us to deceive search engines and users, they carry varying penalties.
Stealth rirects typically cause users
To end up on a web page they weren’t intend to visit when they click on a certain link. This link, which leads to the original page, is the one index by the search engine , making the dynamics of deceptive rirects similar to those of cloaking.
Thus, it’s common for rirects to be us to content . special database However, in most cases, they serve to increase traffic to low-quality pages by manipulating their position in the SERPs.
The latter is because rirecting via URLs
Makes traffic appear more legitimate . This increases the chance of fooling algorithm security systems, as was the case in a massive Black Hat SEO campaign conduct in November 2022.
In it, nearly 15,000 WordPress sites were modifi to include rirects to Q&A discussion forums. The primary goal was to improve their rankings . However, a report by cybersecurity researchers Sucuri stopp the attack in its tracks.
Rirects can also be us to maximize profits in PPC
(pay-per-view) advertising campaigns . In fact, some of the links in the 2022 campaign l to promotional sites.
Not only can this negatively impact those who purchase these types of advertising services, but it also destroys the user experience… as you’ll know create and successfully run a lead capture if you’ve ever end up on a page like this.
Finally, deceptive rirects are often part of phishing or information-stealing schemes . This occurs when links lead to service portals or taiwan lists online stores that appear legitimate but are actually design to steal personal data.